


Riding Your Wave

by HardNoctLife



Series: Summer Gladnis Week 2019 - HardNoctLife [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Sex, Beaches, Boyfriends, Day At The Beach, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Gladnis Week, Love, M/M, One Shot, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Showers, Stress Relief, Summer Gladnis Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 08:11:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20206525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardNoctLife/pseuds/HardNoctLife
Summary: Summer Gladnis Week 2019, Day 1: "Beach," Adjectives: "Sunny/Sizzling"Gladio and Ignis are treated with a rare vacation at Galdin Quay, but it takes some convincing from Gladio to get Ignis to relax.





	Riding Your Wave

[ ](https://ibb.co/CHcYLTj)

The air sizzled with stagnant heat, blurred tendrils rising off the white sand like opaque smoke. Gladiolus Amicitia squinted up at the midday sun, sweat glistening on his tanned body, adjusting the bulging bag under his arm as he tip-toed over the uneven ground. Alternating between feet to alleviate the burning sensation on his bare skin, he hurried to set out a towel, stepping onto it with a small sigh of relief.

His next order of business was to erect an umbrella, and he struggled with it briefly before he muscled it open with a _thwap_. Wedging it deep in the ground, he adjusted it just so to shade his small stake of Galdin Quay’s shoreline.

Several other brave tourists had ventured into the scorching temperatures to enjoy Lucis’s most popular beach, but the majority of them had opted to submerge themselves neck-deep in the ocean, seeking a reprieve from summer’s relentless assault on their senses. Gladio made no move for the water though, choosing to settle down on his stretch of cloth (barely big enough for his body) and enjoy the warm sensation beneath it as he sank into the sand.

_Vacation. Finally, _he thought.

He inhaled the scent of salt and sweat, listening as a seagull cried in the distance, an exclamation point amongst the soothing voice of the ocean, each crash of the waves a comma in its repeated mantra.

_Relax, relax, relax—!_

The exhausted Crownsguard intended to do just that. With Prince Noctis’s high school graduation on the horizon, it would be his last chance to rest for some time, as the next year would be devoted to preparing the young heir for his princely duties, no longer a child and not quite a man. Without a doubt, it meant more work for Gladio as the Shield, and for—

Gladio’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sand scattering in time with footfalls. The trudging drew closer at an alarming rate, and Gladio squinted one eye open, craning his neck to look for the source of the disruption.

An inverted and disgruntled looking Ignis Scientia loomed into view, wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat that shadowed his frowning face. His arms strained beneath the long sleeves that covered them, clutching a beach chair on one side and a large bag on the other. Gladio resisted the urge to chuckle when he saw the sunscreen that still lingered on the man’s nose, most likely slapped on in haste.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Gladio greeted with a satisfied yawn from where his head was still leaned back. Ignis, huffing indignantly, dropped his things with a _thud_ beside the prince’s Shield, sand spraying onto the man’s chest.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Ignis demanded, hurrying to unfold his chair. Gladio noted that he was wearing closed toed shoes, but had opted for swim trunks, although he doubted Ignis would actually get in the water. Truth be told, he was surprised the man even owned a bathing suit as he had never known him to swim.

He tried to picture Ignis riding a wave, hair sopping wet and laughing with reckless abandon and couldn’t.

“Gladio?” Ignis snapped, dispelling the fantasy. Placing his hands behind his head so that his tattooed eagle wings spread, Gladio shrugged.

“I figured you needed the rest,” he explained. There was no response as Ignis plopped down in his seat and pulled his tote bag into his lap. Gladio watched, eyebrows raising when Ignis procured a laptop from its depths.

“What I need to do is catch up on these reports,” Ignis tsked. “I could have sworn I set my alarm,” the man added, clearly flustered. Gladio pushed himself up on his forearms, eyebrows plunging from their peak into a frown.

“_Really_, Specs? This is supposed to be our break,” the man chided in dismay.

“Mm,” Ignis hummed dismissively as he powered the computer on. Sighing, Gladio laid back down, closing his eyes. There was no dissuading Ignis when he was set on a task—not that Gladio hadn’t _tried_, of course, but the last time he had he’d nearly gotten his head torn off, so he had learned to pick his battles carefully.

“Suit yourself,” Gladio muttered, refocusing his attention on the soothing sounds in the background. He soon felt himself drifting off, mind carried away with the ebb and flow of the tide.

_Click-click-click-click—click-click-click—click-click-click-click—! _

Gladio’s nose scrunched at the staccato clack of keys as Ignis began to type.

After a few minutes, the Shield couldn’t take it any longer. “Iggy,” he groaned.

“What?” Ignis inquired innocently, peering over his glasses to where Gladio was now glaring up at him.

“It’s a beautiful, sunny day, and I’m trying to enjoy it,” he answered, gesturing vaguely to the world around them. Ignis scanned the scenery, looking vaguely unimpressed. 

“Certainly, you should, by all means.” Gladio stared, expectant, and Ignis stared back, unfazed. Finally caving, Gladio got to his feet, ducking down to avoid hitting his head on the umbrella before stepping out of the shade. “Where are you going?” Ignis wondered, eyes panning back down to his screen. His companion shrugged.

“Maybe for a run, maybe for a swim. Or _maybe_ I’ll wrestle some sahagins with my bare hands. Who knows? The possibilities are endless.” He had placed his hands on his hips and was watching as Ignis hunched over the computer in his lap, engrossed in whatever he was reading.

“Mmhm, have fun,” the bespectacled man said belatedly, very obviously not listening. Gladio debated, mouth opening, but he thought better of it, and with a shake of his head, swallowed his retort to turn towards the ocean.

He could still hear Ignis’s fingers dancing across the keyboard as he walked away, jarringly abrasive when overlaid with the beach’s tranquil song.

* * *

It was later in the afternoon before Gladio decided to turn back towards the Galdin Quay resort, dark clouds looming ominously in the distance and moving in fast. There was a faint rumble, signaling an impending storm, and Gladio picked up his pace, trotting over the sand. He had managed to run to the end of the beach, dipping in and out of waves whenever he got too hot, and his thick hair was stringy with salt. Loosening his locks from its clip to let it dangle over his shoulders, the man felt it swishing back and forth as he jogged, eyes set on the horizon.

Gladio could make out his umbrella when the rain began to fall, at first only a small drizzle. The beach was empty now, others having already taken shelter, and he hoped it would hold off long enough for him to get back to his room. The Shield slowed when he saw a body slumped down in the chair beside his towel, recognizing Ignis’s sleeping form. His laptop was still laying across his thighs, and Gladio couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hey—Iggy, wake up!” Gladio urged. He watched the man startle out of his slumber, looking around in confusion. His glasses had slid down his nose during his nap, and he pushed them up now, squinting at the darkened sky. “Storm’s coming,” the Shield announced as he bent to gather his things. Groggily, Ignis got up, doing the same.

The rain was beginning to come down more steadily, and all sleep fled Ignis’s body as he glanced down at his laptop with concern.

“We need to hurry,” Ignis said, biting his lip. Without being asked, Gladio reached over to wrap the computer in his beach towel, plucking the umbrella out of the sand so they could huddle beneath it. It was properly pouring now, and the two pressed their bodies together to stay out of the rain, Gladio still breathing heavily from his run.

Ignis glanced up at Gladio gratefully, taking the laptop into his arms as if it were glass that might break. “Thank you,” he murmured. Somewhere in his tone was an unspoken apology.

Gladio wrapped one arm around Ignis’s shoulders with a nod, lips curling at their corners. “Don’t mention it.”

Slowly, so they wouldn’t slip, they left the beach and began to traverse the long boardwalk leading to their hotel room. As they walked, Ignis snuck a glance up at Gladio, gaze sweeping from his head to his waist, lingering on his muscled chest and abdomen.

Gladio, seeing the once-over out of his peripheral vision, cleared his throat. “So—did you get all your work done?”

“Most of it,” Ignis replied, squaring his eyes forward.

“That’s good.”

There was a lull.

“And you? What did you accomplish?” the prince’s advisor wondered. This time, there was no screen to distract him.

“Went on a run, climbed one of the cliff faces—wrestled some sahagins,” he said nonchalantly.

“Goods heavens!” Ignis exclaimed. Gladio laughed then, and it boomed louder than the thunder, as powerful as the ocean’s waves. Ignis felt his face flush. “Ah—you’re joking.” He tucked his chin to hide his blush, and Gladio nudged him good naturedly.

“Yeah, but to be fair, I said it earlier and you completely ignored me,” he pointed out without a trace of malice. Ignis’s flush deepened, the two of them finally stepping under the awning of the resort’s restaurant. Gladio paused to close the umbrella, shaking off the droplets that clung to it.

“My apologies.” Ignis was emphatic and regretful, and Gladio faced him fully, fixing him with his most winning smile.

“How about you make it up to me?” Gladio suggested, mischievous. A streak of lightning crawled across the sky, reflected in the ocean over Gladio’s shoulder. Ignis’s breath caught as he felt the electricity in the air, although he wasn’t sure if it was from the storm or the rapid beating of his heart.

Gladio put the umbrella aside and removed the parcels from Ignis’s hands, setting them down with care before taking Ignis’s hands in his.

“All I wanted from this vacation was to spend time with you,” Gladio admitted. He thumbed a finger over Ignis’s knuckles before looking into the advisor’s eyes, made more blue than green from the darkness of the clouds. The following boom of thunder vibrated through them both, making them buzz. “When was the last time we got away—just the two of us?”

Ignis thought, the silence stretching. “Never,” he said with a heavy dose of guilt.

“Never,” Gladio confirmed, squeezing the man’s hands. “Dating for almost a year and we’ve never had a damn vacation.” Ignis, hesitant, tilted his chin up, searching Gladio’s face.

There was no resentment, no anger—just the patient understanding and hopefulness he had fallen in love with. For someone so passionate, Gladio tolerated Ignis’s quirks better than most. A wave of shame coursed through the advisor at the realization of his blatant neglect. They had both been so focused on their duty to Noctis that they hadn’t made time for one another. _He_ hadn’t made time for them, Ignis amended in his mind.

“Very well. No more work for the remainder of our trip,” Ignis vowed solemnly.

“Oh really?” Gladio was smirking, but Ignis figured he deserved the skepticism and faced it head on.

“I swear it.” Hands pulling free, they gathered their things, taking a more leisurely pace back to their suite. When they finally got in the door, Gladio set everything aside for the second time and began to strip off his wet swim trunks.

Ignis paused, turning to observe Gladio’s naked form in appreciation. Thunder rolled, still clearly audible through the walls. Ignis shivered as the air conditioning hit his damp skin and caused goosebumps to raise on his arms. Neither of them moved for a long moment.

“A hot shower,” Ignis decided, tossing his hat on the king-sized bed from by a window overlooking the sea. “And then, I will make it up to you,” he promised. Gladio’s grin stretched from ear-to-ear as Ignis shrugged out of his clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. His glasses were removed last, folded and placed gently on a nearby dresser.

Gladio followed Ignis into the bathroom where there was a glass shower and claw foot tub, spacious enough for the both of them. He hovered eagerly behind his boyfriend as the advisor reached to turn the water on, the rainforest shower head filling the small area with steam. Back to his usual calm and collected self, Ignis tested the temperature with his hand until he found it acceptable and stepped onto the mosaic tile, Gladio following.

Unable to help himself, the Shield’s mouth found Ignis’s, tongue sliding between his lips with a hunger that had been growing since they arrived. Ignis laughed, pulling back a little.

“You taste like salt,” he commented, amused. Gladio cocked his head into an unspoken question. “It’s quite nice, actually.” Reassured, Gladio’s strong hands slid to the man’s hips, pulling Ignis in until their thighs and chests were touching. He kissed Ignis again, more insistent this time, and the advisor matched his enthusiasm, arms resting on the Shield’s firm shoulders.

The water had gone cold by the time they stumbled out, gasping from the chill of the air as they grabbed for towels.

Ignis laughed as Gladio dried him, the man purposely lingering in-between the advisor’s slightly spread legs, fondling sensitive areas that were already pulsing with heat.

“You’re a daemon of a man, you know that?” Ignis murmured against Gladio’s neck when he finished, nipping at an earlobe. Gladio’s hands clutched Ignis’s ass possessively, muffling a growl by pressing his face into the tactician’s hair as he inhaled the scent of the citrus shampoo the hotel had provided.

“If I’m a daemon, what does that make you?” The Shield hoisted Ignis into his arms, humming happily when the man hooked his ankles behind Gladio’s back. He carried his partner into the bedroom, sitting smoothly on the edge of it as Ignis tilted into him. Gladio’s teeth scraped over Ignis’s free nipple, and a moan permeated the room.

“The hunter, of course.” Ignis _purred,_ and Gladio felt his erection jerk responsively. Ignis’s lips turned up in a playful smirk, and he reached a hand down to take hold of it, applying even strokes. Gladio eased himself down, abs contracting from the effort, and Ignis slid onto his knees, head disappearing between the Shield’s thighs.

“_Fuck_,” Gladio rasped. He clenched his fingers in Ignis’s hair as the advisor took him into his mouth, and he lifted his head briefly to watch Ignis deep throat the length of him. “Is there anything you aren’t good at?” he teased. Ignis swirled his tongue, applying pressure, and Gladio nearly came, legs clamping around Ignis’s body to anchor himself. “_Shit_, Iggy, it’s been too long.” They’d been busy with work, missing each other like two ships passing in the night.

Ignis’s answering hum trembled through Gladio’s shaft and he bucked his hips up, shoving into the back of the man’s throat. Taking it in stride, Ignis smacked a hand against Gladio’s leg in light reprimand, the sting only adding to the pleasure in his groin. He continued to tease the Shield until he was near his breaking point, only pulling away to wipe his mouth when the dark-haired man cried out for him to have mercy.

“Turn over,” Ignis exhaled in a rush. Gladio didn’t hesitate.

“I didn’t pack—" His concerns were swept aside as the tactician held out his hand, making a bottle of lube appear with a flash of blue.

“In the _armiger_?” Gladio couldn’t help but chortle in amazement. Ignis was too deeply aroused to look ashamed, nudging Gladio until he rolled onto his stomach, hands already slathered with the slick substance.

“It’s the most discreet and convenient place,” he explained practically. There was a slight shake of Gladio’s head, but he was smiling—then his mind was too preoccupied with the sensation coming from behind him to care where Ignis stored their sex implements.

The storm contained to rail outside, rain battering the window and tree limbs snapping as they bent, mirroring the constant _thwap-thwap_ and rocking of the bedframe inside the lovers’ bedroom.

When Ignis finally came with an animalistic cry of ecstasy, Gladio immediately turned to cradle him, pulling him into his arms and holding him tight. There were murmured ‘I love you’s and hushed laughs that were lost in the raging wind. 

“I should clean up,” Ignis muttered, adjusting his position to avoid the stickiness along his inner thigh.

“Not yet. Stop stressing.” Gladio planted a kiss on the man’s forehead and ruffled his now dry hair, pleased.

“Let me finish you at least,” the advisor insisted, returning the gesture with a light peck on Gladio’s cheek. Gladio spread his legs eagerly, cock throbbing as it curled up against his navel. They shared more subdued and tender affections now, their energy waning into a comfortable enjoyment as opposed to a frenzied passion.

It didn’t take long for Gladio to climax, and he expelled a shuddering moan, head sagging onto Ignis’s shoulder. A minute passed, and Ignis began to sit up, but Gladio pulled him back down into the comforter with one flex of his arm, a vice grip on his wrist.

“Gladiolus,” Ignis said in exasperation. “The sheets—”

“—can wait.” He leveled the man with a look, and Ignis acquiesced, albeit reluctantly, nuzzling into his lover’s side. They listened to the thunder quietly, Gladio running fingers back and forth from the tip of Ignis’s shoulder all the way down to the crest of his hip. 

“Tomorrow, let’s go swimming,” Gladio said abruptly. Ignis lifted his head, sea-green gaze tentative, but willing.

“If you wish.”

“I _do_ wish. I want to do everything with you while we have time—whether it’s on a beach or holed up in this room.”

Ignis’s smile crested like a wave. “I am not too terribly boring for you?” Beneath the bravado was the irrational fear that Gladio, charismatic and bold, would soon tire of his poised and prim significant other. The Shield hugged his boyfriend a little tighter, hoping to convey just how wrong he was by making sure he held eye contact. 

“Nah, just the opposite, but I’m going to make sure you relax if it’s the last damn thing I do.”

When Ignis’s smile widened to show his teeth—a _true_ smile—it was more dazzling than the summer sun hitting the sand, bright and vibrant, warming Gladio from the inside out. 

The dark-haired man closed his eyes, a satisfying exhaustion making his head nod, and he listened to the drumming of the easing rain on the windowpane, inhales and exhales turning as steady as the ocean’s rise and fall. He imagined the words being whispered in time to their heart beats:

_I—love—you. _

**Author's Note:**

> This author responds to all comments! Feel free to talk to me directly on Tumblr (hard-noct-life) and Twitter (@HardNoctLife)
> 
> Art by AceFlorins (@aceflorins, Tumblr/Twitter)


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